Chapter 10
MEETING THE CLAN, SURPRISES
By 1800, everyone but the on duty Dr. Kelly and the sleeping Dr. Rob was at the ranch and Abby couldn't stop smiling, she was so happy to see them all. Tim, Tony, Maggie, Ellie and Jimmy had tears in their eyes when they hugged and kissed her in greeting. Tim said, "When Dad told us you weren't going with us, I almost cried. We were so afraid we'd never see you again once we all left. Then we saw you at the diner and that was it."
Tony nodded, "The day you called the shelter, Pete Ware answered the phone and he came into the library saying someone asked for 'el jefe'. We nearly knocked him down as we ran out, knowing it was you." He didn't think it necessary to tell her that Pete reported someone screeching at Jethro.
"I missed you guys too. Tony, I'm sorry I was so weird that day. You must have thought I'd lost my mind."
"That's okay, Abby. Everyone's been under a lot of stress."
Gibbs cleared his throat and his former team, Jimmy and Maggie fell silent much to the amusement of the rest of the family. "We didn't want to overwhelm you the first night so it's just us for dinner. Tomorrow we're having a barbecue for everyone. Tobias and Mel, the Vances, Kelly, Rob and Ali, the Fullers, Ned, Tim's techs, Pam Cook and her husband and the rest of the NCIS gang. Plus our new relatives and family: Tim and Sarah's godparents, Maisie's son and his family. I believe we also invited several of the Ortiz family. Their ranch is next to us on the other side."
"Oh, the people you met when you and Tim were here?"
"Yes, when we were here on our undercover case."
When she frowned, several heads nodded yes, emphatically. She thought about it; they came back here, couldn't say they'd been in protective custody so must have made up an undercover case.
"Uh, does everyone know about that?"
"Yes."
"Ok, good! Who's Mel?"
Bec explained and Abby beamed, glad to hear Tobias was in a happy relationship. She liked happy, approved of happy, she just couldn't deal with the whole commitment thing.
Dinner was delicious and she enjoyed hearing about their lives in the shelter and sharing her stories of Belize with them, editing for young ears where necessary. After all the children were in bed, she, Tim, Jimmy, Tony, and Gibbs bundled up and borrowing Geo's Jeep, drove several minutes to the top of a hill. Standing beside the Jeep, Abby turned in circles, awed at the starlight. She thought it possible the entire Milky Way was visible and Tim said the elevation was only about 1000 feet! The utter lack of ambient light certainly helped.
"Ooh, Perseid Meteor showers, harvest moons, super moons! Falling stars, so much to see!"
"We were still in the shelter for the Perseid last year and Ellie was in labor during the last super moon. Huh, we'll have to tell Mackie that when he's older, record that in his baby book, he was born under a super moon. We bring the kids out here to teach them the constellations and to see falling stars. It's so cool!"
"You could camp out here!"
Gibbs shook his head. "It's not safe, Abby. Maybe in an RV with a rifle or two. There's plenty of wildlife around. Black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and grey foxes live out here and they can all be aggressive."
"Wow! Yeah, bears and mountain lions would have me sleeping in the car!"
As Abby later climbed the stairs to her room, she smiled in relief. She'd been a little worried about her reception; she knew she'd pulled away from the family when Gibbs and Tim discovered their relationship; actually, it was probably before that, when Tim got hurt in Somalia. It was as if Gibbs suddenly discovered he was a person and some of the attention usually given her transferred to Tim, or so it seemed. She hadn't liked that at all. Shannon and Kelly's reappearance drove her further away, no matter what a miracle that was or how close they held her. To be accurate, emotionally she pulled far and fast away from them.
There was just too much change for her, along with Gibbs confronting her about all the crap she'd pulled on Tim and other people. When his attitude changed from considering her a daughter to someone he couldn't trust, she was hurt, no matter how much she deserved his anger and disappointment. She was upset that she had to change; she was still working on that but at least she had a clearer idea of what she'd done over the years and how to avoid that mean streak in the future. There was a reason for the maxim 'power corrupts'.
Now she understood there was room for her in the family, probably always had been and that she'd always been loved. In the past year, she'd learned more about the complexities of families, learned about love, acceptance and forgiveness. In an ironic twist, spending time with Kyle and then with Jeanette's family in Belize taught her about much of that.
Yes, she would be miles away but she had an opportunity to start fresh with them. She'd resume her role of 'awesome Aunt Abby' with the children; she'd been happily surprised when Ty, Brynie and Victoria ran straight into her arms this afternoon. Teddy, Lia and Ricky were a little shy at first but they quickly warmed up, as did Tony and Maggie's son Arin. Holding the baby had been all right too.
Ellie and Breena showed her around town on Saturday; they met Kelly for lunch and they all had a good time. Sunday she was invited to attend a church service with the Gibbses or she could attend Mass with the DiNozzos. Afterward, Jimmy and Breena were taking her to Santa Fe to see the sights there. Monday she'd have her office tour and hoped for some time with Leon. Her trip to Taos was, by unanimous agreement, postponed until her next visit when there would not be three women ready to go into labor. She'd purposely made this trip short, in Friday, out Tuesday; next time she'd come for a full week.
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The party Saturday was something she would never have expected from Gibbs; it felt like a community barbecue. People started arriving around 4:00 and everyone brought something. Abby once again fought tears when the adult Vances folded her into their arms and she was greeted with hugs by the twins.
Seeing so many people from DC nearly did her in; in her brain, she knew Albuquerque was currently the agency's headquarters but her heart hadn't realized that meant familiar faces. Emily and Tobias Fornell, Jim O'Brien and a new significant other, she was glad Tony told her beforehand, Evan Fuller, Fred from Accounting, Pam Cook, Delores Bromstead, Natalie who'd sat the 'next aisle' over from the Gibbs/DiNozzo bullpen for more than a decade. Janice Bracco, Nikki Jardine, who said she was still warming up from Maine and Ned Dorneget who brought his partner, one of Tim's friends from the camp in Baltimore. Bill, another old friend from the camp, he was one of the original shelter folks still living in it. She even knew a few of Tim's staff.
Since her arrival, she felt like she'd returned home and now that feeling was reinforced by so many old friends. She missed Rick and Denise Carter, they'd always been a mainstay of the NCIS social group, but she was happy to hear how much they loved London and several people talked about visiting them.
New faces, new friends: she met Bec's aunt, Tobias' partner Mel Blake, Tim and Sarah's godparents Dave and Liz Crane and their boys, the Hubbards, Jim, Claire and the three children, the crowd of Ortizes attending, Pete Ware home in between runs, Aunty Cissy and Uncle John Bishop, Ali and Trish, Haley Chalmers and several others. She had a wonderful time and vowed to return as often as she could. It was too bad she couldn't live here but it really was too sunny and arid for her.
Sunday she went to an early church service with the Gibbses and smiled as she was introduced to more of their friends. Afterward, she climbed into the Palmers' car and they drove to Santa Fe. That was fun too; she loved the native dancers, Old Town, the art galleries and the museums. By Sunday evening, she was ready for an early night and her first visit to the new headquarters in the morning.
Over the busy weekend, she managed to find time with Ducky and Gibbs to further explain her problem with San Diego and her hope to transfer to Seattle. Both men thought about it, pointing out that Vance had gone to bat in San Diego in creating that second shift for her. They warned her to be prepared for some pushback from Vance and the SSAIC in Seattle who might not want the extra expense of a second shift in the lab.
Abby hadn't thought much about the extra cost money to keep the lab up and running from 7 AM to 12 AM five days a week. Because the San Diego and Seattle labs had multiple forensic scientists, they rarely worked overtime. Abby had not filled an empty spot on staff when she returned from Belize; she was additional staff, one that had not been budgeted for the office. That meant an extra salary as well as additional equipment and power usage. Vance moved funds around to meet San Diego's extra expenses but Gibbs pointed out he might not be so willing to do it again because she didn't like the sunshine and the culture in southern California.
Gently Ducky reminded her that the only reason she'd had to work such long hours in DC and Vance created a second shift for her in San Diego was because of her refusal to work with anyone. He thought she'd have a better chance of a transfer to Seattle if she agreed to work with the other scientists. Gibbs was glad his old friend was candid; she needed to hear the truth.
While she was grateful they'd been frank with her, she was unsure what to do. She hadn't thought about any of that. When she woke Monday morning, she'd decided to go ahead with her plan, although she'd tweak it a bit. She'd thank the director for his kindness and when she asked to move to Seattle, she'd agree to work the day shift with the others. She'd already looked them up and knew there was a supervisory position that was solidly occupied. If she wanted to do this, she'd not only have to work with others, she would have to report to one of them. That was a big piece of humble pie and she had until 10 AM to swallow it or abandon her plan and stick it out in San Diego.
Finally deciding to pitch her proposal and see what her boss had to say, she dressed in her new, modified version of Abby normal, slacks, top and boots. No dog collar or pigtails; her hair was tucked behind her ears. At work, she usually wore it in a simple ponytail or a top knot. In Belize, with a little help from Lukas' former mother-in-law, she'd even mastered an upside down braided bun.
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Downstairs, she joined Tim for breakfast. The field agents were already at the office but Tim had conference calls on Monday morning that he preferred to handle from home. Most of the older folks were home today, keeping their eyes on Maggie, Bec, and Sarah and taking care of Mackie, Lia and Ricky. While the toddlers enjoyed day-care, they also enjoyed days at home with their older playmates. Or as Tobias nicknamed all the child-minders, the kids' 'minions'.
Tim smiled at Abby as they drove into town. "Are you excited about seeing the office?"
She laughed, "Yeah and I know it's weird but even after seeing almost everyone on Saturday, I feel like I still need to see the agency in action."
"Did Leon get in touch with you this morning?"
"No, why?"
"He called me earlier, said he wants to talk with you about something."
"I'll text him, thanks." A minute later she grimaced, "Uh oh, had my cell phone off!"
Tim chuckled, "That's okay, he doesn't follow Gibbs' rules and you are on vacation, after all!"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What's it like to be so happy? You're so different now. I mean I know you're stressed with a new baby and lack of sleep but otherwise you seem so happy."
"I am happy, the happiest I've ever been. In the year since we last saw each other, I've gone from being constantly worried about the threat of an attack and then getting everyone and everything here to the happiest guy on the planet. Sounds selfish with so many people dead and displaced, so much loss, but can't help it.
"I just know I'm so happy I'm reluctant to say it aloud. Happy and well satisfied with my life. I'm married to my best friend, the love of my life, blessed with four great kids and wonderful parents I never expected to have. Sure, I hoped that Gibbs would someday care about me as much as he did you and Tony but I never thought about actually being his son. And my mother, wow! I never had a mother before and I have to tell you, she's great. I had no idea how great having a mom could be."
She made a noise. "I forget you lost your adoptive mother when you were, what? Lia's age?"
He nodded, "Just about. I'm sure Lily would have been a great mother but by the time I reconnected with my mom, she was all broken in. Kelly did a great job with her."
She laughed at that. "Does she know that?"
"Kelly does. Haven't said it to Mom."
"You should someday; I bet she'd love it."
They both laughed lightly as Tim pulled into the parking garage. Abby's phone buzzed and she read the text from Vance. "He wants me to come directly to his office."
"All right, I'll take you up; it's the floor below us."
"Nice not to be in the basement, huh?"
"I like it but my staff is still a little freaked by it. Apparently, they liked the separation from the big scary field agents. And I want them to interact more with the field agents!"
"Maybe more off-hours interaction first, like Saturday?"
"That's a great idea, thanks!"
He signed her in at security, agreeing when she said she missed Henry their security guard. "Dad says they're having a great time in Puerto Rico."
"Good, he totally deserves it!"
She waved at people as they stepped out of the elevator and walked to Vance's office suite. Pam was waiting and told Tim she'd give Abby a tour after her chat with Vance. Tim flashed Abby a thumbs up as he left and she smiled.
This trip had been worth everything, no matter what Vance had to say, she felt like she'd found her way again. And maybe best of all, Tim was still her friend. Now she needed to be his friend too.
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While he waited for his forensic guru, Leon thought about what options he had if she wasn't interested in his idea. He could shuffle people around but they'd had so much of that this past year he wanted to avoid more. As Pam ushered Abby into his office, both visitor and Director relaxed.
Curious about Vance's call, Abby waited for him to start the conversation.
"Dr. Sciuto, we have a situation in one of our offices. Our lead forensic scientist in the Great Lakes office has given notice. I know you prefer to work by yourself and that you don't have a lot of supervisory experience. However, I wanted to run it by you, see if you're interested. And if you're not, perhaps you have a recommendation."
Abby was so astounded she had to clench her teeth to keep her jaw from dropping open. She sat like that for a full minute while Vance gave the appearance of waiting patiently, forcing himself not to fidget.
Finally, she said, "I love Chicago, there's so much to do and there are seasons there. Is it possible to have supervisory training before the start date?"
"Yes, we can do that. Bailey gave us 60 days' notice; I'm sure we can find a DoD course in management and we'll have you shadow him for part of that time. You don't mind leaving San Diego?"
She grinned at him, "I planned to ask if I could transfer to Seattle, for the weather mostly. Too much sun and surf in San Diego. I was also going to work with the rest of the staff."
He laughed, "Then this works for you! No danger of too much sun in Chicago; there are definitely four seasons! But that hot rod of yours won't work in the Chicago winters."
She shrugged, "I'll figure it out."
After a little more discussion, they both stood and he shook her hand. "Congratulations, Dr. Sciuto! You understand this is a promotion and a formal transfer, the agency will pay for your move?"
Her smile grew wider and he nodded.
Pam smiled as Abby floated out of the director's inner sanctum. "You ready for your tour or do you want a few minutes?"
Abby blinked. "Do you mind waiting a few minutes? I want to call Gibbs and Ducky."
The other woman nodded, "Not a problem, take your time. There's a conference room back there," she pointed over her shoulder, "it's all yours."
"Thanks!" Once inside the room with the door closed, Abby called Gibbs.
"Hey Abby, how did it go?"
"Is Ducky anywhere nearby?"
"He's right here; we were just having tea together. You're on speaker."
"I haven't told anyone else yet, I'm still in the director's suite. The forensic supervisor at Great Lakes gave notice and Leon offered me the job. I'm going to Chicago and I'm going to run the lab!"
"That's wonderful, congratulations!" She heard Ducky offering his congratulations too.
"The guy who's leaving gave 60 days' notice so there's time for me to take a management course and Vance indicated he'd arrange a mentor for me too. I'll also be able to shadow Bailey."
She grinned at the pleased comments from her mentors. "Thanks, guys. You gave me a lot to think about so I was prepared to say I could handle working with the other techs in Seattle. After he offered Great Lakes, I told him what I was going to ask for this morning. This is more than I ever expected!"
They talked for a few minutes before disconnecting. Returning to Pam, Abby beamed at her, "I'm ready for my tour!"
"Good and I have some information for you. There's a three-week DoD management course in Denver starting the week after next."
"Oh yay, I can do that! Is any of it online?"
"No, I looked at the 'Questions and Answers'. There are role-playing scenarios so it's all done in person."
"All right. What about a place to stay, do I pay for that?"
"No, the agency pays for your room and gives you a per diem for meals. Once the director signs off on the course, I'll get all that set up and send the information to you. Or do you want a printed copy?"
Abby shook her head, "Not necessary."
"Any preferences for hotel rooms?"
"Non-smoking and close to wherever I'm going to be. Will I need a car?"
"I'll let you know and we only book into non-smoking hotels."
Reassured, Abby nodded and the two of them left for the tour. They took the elevator down to the autopsy suite where Jimmy had just finished a remote robotic autopsy. The assistant at the other end was moving the body as Dr. Palmer signed off, ready to do his report. He grinned at the two women, "Perfect timing and I've already given my verbal report to the Team Lead. The written can wait two minutes while you take a look around."
Abby shook her head, "Fewer tables and freezer drawers, more electronics and a bigger office."
"Yes. All our suites will have this equipment now. So if I'm out on vacation and we have a body here one of my counterparts can handle the autopsy remotely."
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's great. I can concentrate on the autopsy and I always have an assistant at the remote site."
She had a few more questions and then she and Pam moved on to the lab. Abby smiled as she saw the familiar face, her former vacation fill-in Ginger had been hired for the lab here although she was not the supervisor. Two others were currently off-site for training. Abby was ready to burst with her news but didn't say anything. She was having lunch with Tony, Tim, Ellie, Jimmy, Bob and Ned and wanted to tell them first.
From the lab, they took a quick peek at the holding cells, currently empty and the fitness center where a couple of people were using the treadmills. From there the two visited the evidence garage and lockup before traveling upstairs to the squad room where Abby made a beeline to DiNozzo's bullpen. His team had closed a particularly complex case the previous week and was off rotation, concentrating on the paperwork. Now the agents greeted her with smiles and hugs. Natalie, Jim O'Brien and some of the others joined the crowd and it was several minutes before everyone quieted down. As Abby had seen most of them Saturday, there was no need for a long stay and after she gave a loving pat to the orange wall, she was on her way to Tim's lair.
Pam took her to the door and then left her to return to work. When Abby walked in, she grinned. The large room was bright and airy. While there were cubicles, there were also comfortable looking couches and chairs scattered in the corners and along the back wall along with a few vending machines. She saw a couple of techs on the couches with their laptops but more were at the workstations. There were posters along with a banner welcoming someone new and she remembered Tim mentioning he'd just brought on a new tech. She waved to Pringle and the others as she made her way to Tim's office, which was bigger than she expected. She thought it would be large enough for a desk, a credenza and a couple of chairs for visitors but he had a full-size couch, conference table and chairs. The office of a regional director.
Tim smiled, saying, "You're awfully happy."
"I am! I'll tell everyone at lunch. I called Ducky and your dad."
He grinned at her; this was the first time she'd ever referred to Gibbs as his father. This must be big, whatever it was. He'd heard a rumor but decided to be patient.
He didn't have long to wait. After a peek at the rooftop deck, they took the elevator down to the lobby where they met the rest of the lunch bunch. From there they walked to their favorite café. Once everyone was seated, Tony and Tim looked at each other, then at Abby, saying in unison, "Spill!"
She laughed while she nodded. "Over the weekend I spoke with Gibbs and Ducky about an idea I had. I'm not crazy about San Diego; I'm off in the mornings and early afternoon and it's all sunshine and surfers. It isn't really but the vibe isn't anywhere close to my comfort zone and I need at least two seasons, four is better.
"Anyway, I wanted to talk with Vance today but thought I'd run it by my mentors first. They had some points for me to consider and I did, so I went into the director's office with a modified request. However, he beat me to it. The lead forensic scientist at Great Lakes just gave notice and he offered me the job! It's a transfer and a promotion; I'll be in charge of four other techs. The tech that's leaving, Bailey, gave 60 days' notice, which gives me time to take a management-training course and to spend a week or so learning from him."
"Wow, that's wonderful, congratulations!" Abby beamed as her friends responded to her good news.
Ellie looked at her, "Out of curiosity, what were you going to request?"
"A lateral transfer to Seattle and I'd be willing to work with the other techs."
"Seattle would be good too, it's a great city. But this is a promotion and it's Chicago!"
"I know, huh? I'm so excited! My training class starts the week after next in Denver, so I'll fly home and start packing, do the course and then return to San Diego one last time to get moved."
Bob remembered his permanent transfer four years ago. "Pam will send you a whole packet of information. You'll have 30 days to find a new place to live and when you do, the agency flies you home to meet the movers. During those 30 days, you'll probably stay in a residence hotel near the office and you'll have a relocation agent who'll do the research for you."
"Wow, that's more than I thought! Thanks, Bob."
After lunch, she walked back to the office with them and then took Tim's keys. She'd drive Ellie's truck back to the ranch while he'd ride home in the van with Ellie, Ty, and Brynie. Having seen a few stores she wanted to revisit, she made a few stops but was back early enough for a nice long swim with the pregnant ladies, the Grands, Greats, Lia, Ricky and Mackie. The ladies sighed in relief as they floated in the water. Mackie floated on his little mat, squealing happily while Lia and Ricky played with each other and the adults.
Abby never stopped smiling the rest of the day. During her swim, she decided to sell the hot rod. She knew parking could be a problem in Chicago and she wouldn't be able to drive it in the winter. Why keep it when there was plenty of public transportation? She said as much to Gibbs and he immediately offered to buy it. After letting Jared know and making a flight reservation for the next morning, she and Gibbs figured out the details of the sale.
Saying goodbye Tuesday morning wasn't easy but now she knew she still belonged and was determined to spend more time with her family. She thought she'd spend holidays with them, maybe not both Thanksgiving and Christmas but one of the two every year. Plus Easter and the Fourth of July, maybe even the Presidents' Day weekend. Tony drove her to the airport on his way to work, giving her a good strong hug to hold her until her next visit.
When Shannon asked her husband what he planned to do with the hot rod, he smiled, "Disconnect the battery, remove the tires and put it up on blocks until Abby's next visit, then she'll have her own wheels." Shannon smiled, loving her husband's generosity.